We often consider being nice and being kind to be the same thing. This is far from the truth and should be looked at through the eyes of the Scripture so that we can see which one is a fruit those who belong to God are expected to bear. To be kind is to do all that is possible to ensure someone else has something they need while being nice is to be concerned but not to the extent of going out of our way to see the other person has what they need.
Often times, we tell children to be “nice” and this explains why they do quite a lot of things just for the sake of doing it. If we would have a stronger and better generation of Christians, our children must be taught to step up from being nice to being Kind. There are several Bible stories that teach children not just to be nice but Kind but my favourite is that of the Good Samaritan. While every other person actually stopped to see the condition of the traveller and sympathized with him, yet they all did nothing to help him, the Good Samaritan added a deliberate act of kindness to all that the others did by looking for a solution to the problem the traveller was faced with. ( Luke 10:30-37)
A close look at the story of Lot- Abraham’s nephew also teaches us about the importance of Kindness. Lot was not just nice enough to suggest that the strangers he saw one fateful evening spend the night in his house. He was kind enough to disagree with them when they would not accept the offer he made to them because he knew the people of the city where he resided to be vain and ungodly. Despite their insistence to sleep on the street, he would not allow that to happen while he slept comfortably in his house with his family. Little did he know that he was sowing a seed of kindness that was going to save him from the impending doom that was to come upon Sodom and Gomorrah. ( Genesis 19:1-25)
He is recorded to have strongly insisted that they spend the night in his house, not because of what he stood to get from them but because of a heart of love and sincere concern. He went further to take it upon himself to make them comfortable. Don’t forget that there is a difference between giving someone a place to sleep and making the place hospitable for such a person. That’s the difference between niceness and kindness. You can be nice enough to give someone a place to sleep but care less about their welfare in the space provided.
Genesis 19: 2-3
And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
And he pressed upon them greatly, and they turned in unto him and entered into his house, and he made them a feast and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.”
Very few people consider acts of kindness as seeds sown. The amazing thing about such seeds is that it germinates and brings forth much more fruits than the sower could have imagined. The Shunammite woman is a perfect example of someone who sowed an act of kindness. It is worthy of note that she did not give the prophet a place to sleep because she wanted him to bring a solution to her long-standing problem of childlessness. She provided him with a permanent place to stay each time he came in her direction because she was concerned about the stress a Holy man of God had to go through each time he travelled in that direction. As a way of paying her back for her kindness, the prophet went all out to find out how he could be of help to her and her response tells us how sincere she was in sowing the seed of kindness into the life of the prophet, without the desire to get anything for her own personal gain.
2 Kings 4:8-17
“And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber and lay there.
And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered I dwell among mine own people.
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.”
Kindness is not cosmetic like its friend niceness. It is a fruit of the Spirit and therefore a natural result of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life. It can be said to be something that cannot be faked. It is either you have it or you do not. The early Church is a perfect example of a Spirit-filled Church, considering their acts of kindness to one another. The Church was such that cared for everyone in a way that just one person’s pain was considered to be the pain of everyone. Little wonder their growth was indeed rapid.
Acts 2:44-47
“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had a need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Kindness is a fruit of the seed Jesus sowed when He suffered and died for us while we were undeserving. This simply explains the reason it might be easy for a person to exhibit the trait of a bland, cosmetic and shallow concern for others and feel good about his or her act of niceness. Kindness, on the other hand, takes a step further and reacts the way Jesus would to the pains, issues and events in the life of others.
I think we need more kind people in a world that is so cold and selfish. A place where everyone is nice enough to watch the news and feel sorry for the people or Nations that are suffering but the feeling is not strong enough to compel them to do something to effect a change in any little way possible.
No one can give what they do not have. Being kind begins with having a connection to the vine(Jesus) that produces the fruit of the Spirit. A tree will only produce its kind of fruit and since Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit, there is no how it can be a part of a person who is not led by the Spirit. Are you led by the Spirit or your self-will, ambition or desires?
If you are truly aware of the price Christ paid for your salvation, you will take seriously the consequence of not loving others enough to share the good news, your time, gifts and resources with others. Your love for others will not be in words alone but also in action. With deliberate acts of kindness, you will be willing to be one of the very few people who has left the level of niceness to that of kindness.
Be kind enough to insist on being a blessing in every possible way in a world that is cold and cruel yet full of nice people.
Author Profile
- Temitope is the founder of thesoulmeal.com, an online platform that she shares with her God-given spiritual family and friends. She is a speaker, teacher and youth counselor. She is passionate about inspiring people to find their identity in Christ. Catch her interviewing inspiring leaders on Tongue of the Learned Podcast
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